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[phace]

So Lin suggested I post this information here a while ago. As is life, I got busy and forgot until now. This is basically a brief description on a technique that any league player uses to be a better rifleman. This methodology also applies to single-shot support. Essentially, employing this technique improves accuracy ten-fold but takes a lot of practice to master. Method: counter-strafing

Abstract: Counter-strafing refers to strafing left and right and how to mitigate the inaccuracy that results from doing so repeatedly. When you strafe side to side, the gravity settings in DOD:S are inherently set to a certain value based on the Source physics engine. This means that gravity/friction can throw off your cone of fire. When you are stationary, the cone of fire is rather small and confined on most weapons, such that standing still and firing individual rounds will land in the same circular area pretty consistently, making you more accurate.

Problem: Players who strafe side to side sacrifice accuracy for mobility, often voiding the whole purpose of survival when unable to land a kill shot.

Solution: Counter-strafing.

How: If you are in-game standing still, pressing a "strafe" key and letting go will move you to a respective side. If you watch your screen closely (use a stationary object on a map as a reference point), you will notice that your character slides to a stop, rather than dead stop. Since your character is "sliding," any shots you fire will be considered part of the larger, mobile cone of fire, therefore less accurate. In order to "counter-strafe," you should tap/hold a directional strafe key (let's say left for this example). When you want to shoot, let go of that directional strafe and tap the opposite key (right strafe). If performed correctly, your character will stop dead in it's tracks which will immediately decrease the size of your cone of fire, therefore making your shot(s) 10x more accurate.

Testing the concept: Find a map with a stationary object (window, indestructible box, lamp, etc). Strafe left and right like normal and pay attention to where your bullets are landing (observe bullet holes or sparks). Following this, use the technique outlined above and observe where your bullet wholes/sparks are now landing. If done correctly, your bullet destinations should not fall outside of your cross hair's immediate area.

Learning Curve: 10/10 for difficulty. This technique is difficult to grasp because it requires a very fine-tuned and precisely timed pressing of keys which is compounded by the need to be accurate inherently. You must get the key timing down along with aiming well in order to make use of this method.

Conclusion: All of the above applies to rifles and support weapons (single shot, although full auto counter-strafing is also affected). It took me several weeks to become proficient at counter-strafing due to the multitude of things occurring (strafing, aiming, changing strafe/movement patterns to avoid being shot, watching for enemies, etc.)


Hope this is helpful.